If only there was a concrete point system...
Lack of it doesn't really bother me -- I have a pretty good idea of where I stand, and I don't think that would improve my perception of that much.
One thing to keep in mind is that the average skill level is constantly increasing. So just because you get demoted, doesn't mean you are getting worse, it could just mean you aren't improving at the rate of the people around you.
Thanks for the encouragement. I don't believe I'm getting worse, nor do I think I'm falling behind -- I'm just close enough to the gold/plat boundary that normal variation in MMR makes a new season's league something of a toss-up. (My adjusted points -- without bonus included -- stayed pretty stable over last season, and the dip at the end wasn't a huge one.)
The way I got master, I didn't even play ladder or analyze replays. I played games over and over against the AI and focused purely on macro and mechanics. Focused on using the keyboard for everything, spamming and building muscle memory, never getting supply blocked, keeping my money low.
Sure, and that's where my focus is. As a Zerg player, though, I find it's often not that easy, because while I can max out on roaches by about 12 minutes if I'm doing nothing else (which could be better, but it's definitely in the ballpark for platinum macro performance), getting a macro edge means holding off on building units until the latest possible moment, and it's remarkably easy to get walked over if I misread what I'm seeing from my opponent (or build too much stuff early and can't do enough damage.)
EPT
